


Oliphants and String - A Tribble

by HASA_Archivist



Category: The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Drama, War of the Ring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 18:43:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3780337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HASA_Archivist/pseuds/HASA_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A grandmother's sorrow unfolds.<br/>Honorable Mention - 2007 MEFA Award Category: Genres: Drama: Other Fixed-Length Ficlet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Oliphants and String - A Tribble

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the HASA Transition Team: This story was originally archived at [HASA](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Henneth_Ann%C3%BBn_Story_Archive), which closed in February 2015. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in February 2015. We posted announcements about the move, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this author, please contact The HASA Transition Team using the e-mail address on the [HASA collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hasa/profile).

"Leave the frog alone, my precious, else you hurt it and it cannot return to its home."  
  
"I want it. I found it and it's mine," the sweet tone that had once been his now resonated with disdain. " 'Sides, it's an oliphant and I'm tamin' it."  
  
"Where is your cousin?" she changed the subject.  
  
" 'Dunno," he whined. "Can't always watch 'im."  
  
"You went to the river with him, didn't you? Isn't that where you found the frog?"  
  
" 'Dunno. And it's an oliphant. I tied it up tight with this here string and now it can't get away. It's mine, it is," he whined even more miserably.  
  
"Where is Déagol?" she asked, her tone now harsh.  
  
He turned towards her, eyes flashing with hate. "I don't know!" he screamed.  
  
A moment later, they came into her smial and brought the body before her. She saw the handprints on the boy's throat. Shivering, she called his name, but he had disappeared. She wondered where he had gone to, but grief swept all other thought from her.  
  
For months after that, unease swept through her village. She was its head, its guardian, and she knew the cause. At last, she confronted him.  
  
He denied the murder, the thefts, the eavesdropping, the tortures... everything and so she ordered him banished.  
  
Watching as he bundled a few rocks, shells from the river, string and various dead bugs into his bedroll, she held back her tears. Once she had such dreams for him. The frog had long since died else she knew he would have taken that too. She offered food - he spat at her. She closed her eyes. She would not watch him walk away. But others did and shouted obscenities at him.  
  
Forgotten forever was the sound of his sweet voice.

~*~

_A/N - I probably should put this as an AU - but it seems hideous that Déagol's body was never found. So - someone found it and brought it for proper burial...._


End file.
